ITEM 1A.     RISK FACTORS

This report, including Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, contains forward-looking statements that may be materially affected by several risk factors, including those summarized below:

Risks Relating to Our Company 

Our results of operations, cash flows and the value of our properties are highly dependent on the market prices of gold and silver and certain base metals and these prices can be volatile.  The profitability of our gold and silver mining operations and the value of our mining properties are directly related to the market price of gold and silver, copper, lead and zinc. The price of gold and silver may also have a significant influence on the market price of our common stock. The market price of gold and silver historically has fluctuated significantly and is affected by numerous factors beyond our control. These factors include supply and demand fundamentals, global or national political or economic conditions, expectations with respect to the rate of inflation, the relative strength of the U.S. dollar and other currencies, interest rates, gold and silver sales and loans by central banks, forward sales by metal producers, accumulation and divestiture by exchange traded funds, and a number of other factors.

We derive a significant portion of our revenue from the sale of gold, silver, and zinc, and to a lesser extent copper and lead, and our results of operations will fluctuate as the prices of these metals change.  A period of significant and sustained lower metal prices would materially and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. The volatility of mineral prices represents a substantial risk which no amount of planning or technical expertise can fully eliminate. In the event metal prices decline or remain low for prolonged periods of time, we might be unable to develop our existing exploration properties, which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial performance, and cash flows. An asset impairment charge may result from the occurrence of unexpected adverse events that impact our estimates of expected cash flows generated from our producing properties or the market value of our non-producing properties, including a material diminution in the price of metals.  

During 2019, the price of gold, as measured by the London P.M. fix, fluctuated from a low of $1,270 per ounce to a high of $1,546 per ounce while the price of silver fluctuated from a low of $14.38 per ounce to a high of $19.31 per ounce. As of February 28, 2020, gold and silver prices were $1,610 per ounce and $17.19 per ounce, respectively. The volatility in gold and silver prices is illustrated by the following table, which sets forth for each of the past five calendar years, the high, low, and average annual market prices in U.S. dollars per ounce of gold and silver based on the daily London P.M. fix:

Most of our production is currently derived from a single mine and any interruptions or stoppages in our mining activities would adversely affect our revenue. We are largely dependent on revenues from a single mine to fund our operations. Any interruption in our ability to mine this location, such as a labor strike, natural disaster, or loss of permits would negatively impact our ability to generate revenue following such interruption. Additionally, if we are unable to economically develop additional mines, we will eventually deplete the body of mineralized material and will no longer generate revenue sufficient to fund our operations. A decrease in, or cessation of, our mining operations at this mine would adversely affect our financial performance and may eventually cause us to cease operations.

If we are unable to achieve anticipated gold and silver production levels, our financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected. We have been processing ore from the Arista and Mirador underground mines at the Aguila and Alta Gracia projects, respectively, and from our open pit mine at our Isabella Pearl project based on estimates of mineralized material identified during exploration and in our Proven and Probable Reserve report. However, risks related to reserve estimates, metallurgy, and/or mining dilution are inherent when working with extractable minerals. Sales of gold and silver that we realize from future mining activity will be less than anticipated if the mined material does not contain the concentration of gold and silver predicted by our geological exploration, studies and reports. If sales of gold and silver are less than anticipated, we may not be able to recover our investment in our properties and our operations may be adversely affected. Our inability to realize production based on quarterly or annual projections may also adversely affect the price of our common stock and you may lose part or all of your investment.

Estimates of proven and probable reserves and mineralized material are uncertain and the volume and grade of ore actually recovered may vary from our estimates. The proven and probable reserves stated in this report represent the amount of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc that we estimated, at December 31, 2019, could be economically and legally extracted or produced at the time of the reserve determination. Estimates of proven and probable reserves and mineralized material are subject to considerable uncertainty. Such estimates are, to a large extent, based on the prices of gold, silver, copper, lead and zinc as well as interpretations of geologic data obtained from drill holes and other exploration techniques. These prices and interpretations are subject to change.  If we determine that certain of our estimated reserves or mineralized material have become uneconomic, we may be forced to reduce our estimates.  Actual production may be significantly less than we expect.

Any material changes in mineral estimates and grades of mineralization may affect the economic viability of our current operations, our decision to place a new property into production and/or such property’s return on capital. There can be no assurance that mineral recoveries in small scale laboratory tests will be duplicated in a large‑scale on-site operation in a production environment. Extended declines in market prices for gold and/or silver may render portions of our mineralization estimates uneconomic and result in reduced reported mineralization or adversely affect the commercial viability of one or more of our properties. Any material reductions in estimates of mineralization, or of our ability to extract this mineralization, could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or financial condition.

Additionally, the term “mineralized material” as used in this report does not indicate proven and probable reserves as defined by Industry Guide 7 (“Guide 7”) promulgated by the SEC or our standards. Estimates of mineralized material are subject to further exploration and development and are therefore subject to considerable uncertainty. We cannot be certain that any part or parts of the mineralized material deposit will ever be confirmed or converted into Guide 7 compliant reserves or that mineralized material can be economically or legally extracted.

Our current property portfolio is limited to three producing properties and our ability to remain profitable over the long-term will depend on our ability to expand the known deposits like Arista, Mirador, and Isabella Pearl, and /or identify, explore and develop additional properties in Mexico and Nevada. Gold and silver producers must continually replace reserves depleted by production to maintain production levels over the long term and provide a return on invested capital. Depleted reserves can be replaced in several ways, including expanding known ore bodies, locating new deposits, or acquiring interests in reserves from third parties. Exploration is highly speculative in nature, capital intensive, involves many risks and is frequently unproductive. Our current or future exploration programs may not result in new mineral producing operations. Even if significant mineralization is discovered, it will likely take many years from the initial phases of exploration until commencement of production, during which time the economic feasibility of production may change.

From time to time, we may acquire mineral interests from other parties. Such acquisitions are based on an analysis of a variety of factors including historical exploration results, estimates of and assumptions regarding the extent of mineralized material, and/or reserves, the timing of production from such reserves and cash and other operating costs. In addition, we may rely on data and reports prepared by third parties (including the ability to permit and compliance with

existing regulations) which may contain information or data that we are unable to independently verify or confirm. All of these factors are uncertain and may have an impact on our ability to develop the properties.

As a result of these uncertainties, our exploration programs and any acquisitions which we may pursue may not result in the expansion or replacement of our current production with new ore reserves or operations, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial position.

We may not continue to be profitable. During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2019, 2018 and 2017, we reported net income of $5.8 million, $9.3 million, and $4.2 million, respectively. We have accumulated retained earnings of $16.9 million as of December 31, 2019. Metal prices have a significant impact on our profit margin and there is no assurance that we will be profitable in the future. Unexpected interruptions in our mining business may cause us to incur losses, or the revenue that we generate from production may not be sufficient to fund continuing operations including exploration and mine construction costs. Our failure to generate future profits may adversely affect the price of our common stock and you may lose all or part of your investment.

We may require significant additional capital to fund our business plans. We may be required to expend significant funds to determine if mineralized material and proven and probable mineral reserves exist at any of our non-producing properties, to continue exploration, and if warranted, develop our existing properties and to identify and acquire additional properties to diversify our property portfolio.  If we receive the necessary permits and make a positive development decision, we will require significant additional capital to bring the project into production. We have spent, and may be required to continue to expend, significant amounts of capital for drilling, geological and geochemical analysis, assaying, feasibility studies, mine development, and mining and process equipment in connection with our exploration, development, and production activities.

Our ability to obtain necessary funding for these purposes, in turn, depends upon a number of factors, including our historical and prospective results of operations, the status of the national and worldwide economy, the price of gold, silver and other valuable metals, the condition of the debt and equity markets, and the costs associated with extracting minerals. We may not be successful in generating or obtaining the required financing, or if we can obtain such financing, such financing may not be on terms that are favorable to us. Failure to obtain such additional financing could result in delay or indefinite postponement of further mining operations or exploration and construction and the possible partial or total loss of our interest in our properties.

If we do not hedge our exposure to fluctuations in gold and silver prices, we may be subject to significant reductions in price. We do not use hedging transactions with respect to any of our gold and silver production and we do not expect to do so in the future.  Accordingly, we are fully exposed to price fluctuations if precious and base metal prices decline. While the use of hedging transactions limits the downside risk of price declines, their use also may limit future revenues from price increases. Hedging transactions also involve the risk that the counterparty may be unable to satisfy its obligations.

Revenue from the sale of metal concentrate may be adversely affected by loss or damage during shipment and storage at our buyer’s facilities. We rely on third-party transportation companies to transport our metal concentrate to the buyer’s facilities for processing and further refining. The terms of our sales contracts with the buyers require us to rely on assay results from samples of our metal concentrate that are obtained at the buyer’s warehouse to determine the final sales value for our metals. Once the metal concentrate leaves our processing facility, we no longer have direct custody and control of these products. Theft, loss, road accidents, improper storage, fire, natural disasters, tampering or other unexpected events while in transit or at the buyer’s location may lead to the loss of all or a portion of our metal concentrate products. Such losses may not be covered by insurance and may lead to a delay or interruption in our revenue and as a result, our operating results may be adversely affected.

A significant delay or disruption in sales of concentrates or doré as a result of the unexpected disruption in services provided by smelters or refiners could have a material adverse effect on results of operations.  We rely on refiners and smelters to refine and process and, in some cases, purchase, the gold and silver doré and gold, silver, copper,

lead and zinc concentrate produced by our mines. Access to refiners and smelters on economic terms is critical to our ability to sell our products to buyers and generate revenues. We periodically enter into agreements with refiners and smelters, some of which operate their refining or smelting facilities outside the United States, and we believe we currently have contractual arrangements with a sufficient number of refiners and smelters so that the loss of any one refiner or smelter would not significantly or materially impact our operations or our ability to generate revenues. Nevertheless, services provided by a refiner or smelter may be disrupted by new or increased tariffs, duties or other cross-border trade barriers, the bankruptcy or insolvency of one or more refiners or smelters or the inability to agree on acceptable commercial or legal terms with a refiner or smelter. Such an event or events may disrupt an existing relationship with a refiner or smelter or result in the inability to create a contractual relationship with a refiner or smelter, which may leave us with limited, uneconomical or no access to refining or smelting services for short or long periods of time. Any such delay or loss of access may significantly impact our ability to sell doré and concentrate products. We cannot ensure that alternative refiners or smelters would be available or offer comparable terms if the need for them were to arise or that it would not experience delays or disruptions in sales that would materially and adversely affect results of operations.

Exploration and, if deemed feasible, development of mineral properties is inherently risky and could lead to unproductive properties and/or capital investments. Our long-term success depends on our ability to identify additional mineral deposits on our properties and any other properties that we may acquire and to develop one or more of those properties into commercially viable mining operations. Mineral exploration is highly speculative in nature, involves many risks and is frequently unproductive. These risks include unusual or unexpected geologic formations and the inability to obtain suitable or adequate machinery, equipment or labor. The success of gold exploration is determined in part by the following factors:

Substantial expenditures are required to establish proven and probable reserves through detailed drilling and analysis, to develop metallurgical processes to extract metal and to develop the mining and processing facilities and infrastructure at any site chosen for mining. Whether a mineral deposit will be commercially viable depends on a number of factors, which include, without limitation, the particular attributes of the deposit, such as size, grade, metallurgy, rock competency and proximity to infrastructure like power, water and roads; metal prices, which fluctuate widely; and government regulations, including, without limitation, regulations relating to prices, taxes, royalties, land tenure, land use, importing and exporting of minerals, environmental protection and local and community support. We may invest significant capital and resources in exploration activities and abandon such investments if we are unable to identify commercially exploitable mineral reserves. The decision to abandon a project may have an adverse effect on the market value of our common stock and our ability to raise future financing.

We may acquire additional exploration stage properties and our business may be negatively impacted if reserves are not located on acquired properties. We have in the past and may in the future acquire additional exploration stage properties. There can be no assurance that reserves will be identified on any properties that we acquire. We may experience negative reactions from the financial markets if we successfully complete acquisitions of additional properties and reserves are not located on acquired properties. These factors may adversely affect the trading price of our common stock or our financial condition or results of operations.

To the extent that we seek to expand our operations and increase our reserves through acquisitions, we may experience issues in executing acquisitions or integrating acquired operations.  From time to time, we examine opportunities to make selective acquisitions in order to provide increased returns to our shareholders and to expand our

operations and reported reserves and, potentially, generate synergies. The success of any acquisition would depend on a number of factors, including, but not limited to:

There can be no assurance that we will be able to conclude any acquisitions successfully, or that any acquisition will achieve the anticipated synergies or other positive results. Any material problems that we encounter in connection with such an acquisition could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial position.

We rely on contractors to conduct a significant portion of our operations and construction projects.  A significant portion of our operations and construction projects are currently conducted in whole or in part by contractors.  As a result, our operations are subject to a number of risks, some of which are outside our control, including:

In addition, we may incur liability to third parties as a result of the actions of our contractors. The occurrence of one or more of these risks could adversely affect our results of operations and financial position.

Our profits are subject to two mining duties imposed by the Mexican government. The Mexican government requires mineral producers to pay a ‘special’ mining duty to the government of 7.5% on net profits and an additional ‘extraordinary’ mining duty of 0.5% on gross sales of precious metals of gold, silver and platinum. This legislation has and may in the future significantly and adversely affect our results of operations, including our cash flows, which may in turn affect the amount of capital we have available for typical uses of cash, including but not limited to, reinvestment into our business, funding new projects and paying dividends to our shareholders.

Increased operating and capital costs could adversely affect our results of operations.  Costs at any particular mining location are subject to variation due to a number of factors, such as variable ore grade, changing metallurgy and revisions to mine plans in response to the physical shape and location of the ore body, as well as the age and utilization rates for the mining and processing- related facilities and equipment. In addition, costs are affected by the price and availability of input commodities, such as fuel, electricity, labor, chemical reagents, explosives, steel, concrete and mining and processing related equipment and facilities. Commodity costs are, at times, subject to volatile price movements, including increases that could make production at certain operations less profitable. Further, changes in laws and regulations can affect commodity prices, uses and transport. Reported costs may also be affected by changes in accounting standards. A material increase in costs at any significant location could have a significant effect on our results of operation and operating cash flow.

We could have significant increases in capital and operating costs over the next several years in connection with the development of new projects in challenging jurisdictions and in the sustaining and/or expansion of existing mining and processing operations. Costs associated with capital expenditures may increase in the future as a result of factors beyond our control. Increased capital expenditures may have an adverse effect on the results of operation and cash flow generated from existing operations, as well as the economic returns anticipated from new projects.

The facilities and development of our underground and open pit mines and operations are subject to all of the risks inherent in development, construction, and operations. These risks include potential delays, cost overruns, shortages of material or labor, construction defects, breakdowns and injuries to persons and property. We expect to engage subcontractors and material suppliers in connection with the continued mine activities at the Aguila, Alta Gracia, and Isabella Pearl projects. While we anticipate taking all measures which we deem reasonable and prudent in connection with our facilities, construction of the underground mine and the operation of the processing facility, there is no assurance that the risks described above will not cause delays or cost overruns in connection with such construction or operation. Any delays would postpone our anticipated generation of revenue and adversely affect our operations, which in turn may adversely affect the price of our stock. 

Underground mining operations are subject to unique risks. The exploration for minerals, mine construction and mining operations in an underground mine involve a high level of risk and are often affected by hazards outside of our control. Some of these risks include, but are not limited to, underground fires or floods, fall-of-ground accidents, seismic activity and unexpected geological formations or conditions including noxious fumes or gases. The occurrence of one or more of these events in connection with our exploration, mine construction, or production activities may result in the death of, or personal injury to, our employees, other personnel or third parties, the loss of mining equipment, damage to or destruction of mineral properties or production facilities, monetary losses, deferral or unanticipated fluctuations in production, environmental damage and potential legal liabilities, all of which may adversely affect our reputation, business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.

Construction, start-up, and ramp-up of mine and process facilities is subject to all of the risks inherent in construction and operation, including delays and costs of construction in excess of our projections and differing recovery vs. our projections of minerals.  Many factors could increase the costs of ongoing mine and process facility operations, including:

If any of the foregoing events were to occur, our financial condition could be adversely affected and we may be required to seek additional capital, which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, or at all. If we are unable to achieve our projected ramp up of the project, we may not be able to recover any costs already incurred and result in a materially adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, and cash flows.

Our operations are subject to ongoing permitting requirements which could result in the delay, suspension or termination of our operations.  Our operations, including our ongoing exploration drilling programs and production, require ongoing permits from governmental authorities. If we cannot obtain or maintain the necessary permits or if there is a delay in receiving future permits, our timetable and business plan will be adversely affected.  We have from time to time relied on third party environmental firms to assist in our efforts to obtain and remain current with required regulations and permits.  While we attempt to manage and oversee third party firms, we are dependent on the firm to operate in a professional and knowledgeable manner.

Continuation of our mining operations is dependent on the availability of sufficient and affordable water supplies.  Our mining operations require significant quantities of water for mining, ore processing and related support facilities. Our properties in Mexico and Nevada are in areas where water is scarce and competition among users for continuing access to water is significant. Continuous production and mine development is dependent on our ability to acquire and maintain water rights and claims and to defeat claims adverse to current water uses in legal proceedings. Although each of our operating mines currently has sufficient water rights and claims to cover its operating demands, we cannot predict the potential outcome of pending or future legal proceedings relating to water rights, claims and uses. Water shortages may also result from weather or environmental and climate impacts out of our control. Shortages in water supply could result in production and processing interruptions. In addition, the scarcity of water in certain regions could result in increased costs to obtain sufficient quantities of water to conduct our operations. The loss of some or all water rights, in whole or in part, or ongoing shortages of water to which we have rights or significantly higher costs to obtain sufficient quantities of water (or the failure to procure sufficient quantities of water) could result in our inability to maintain production at current or expected levels, require us to curtail or shut down mining production and prevent us from pursuing expansion or development opportunities. Laws and regulations may be introduced in some jurisdictions in which we operate which could also limit access to sufficient water resources, thus adversely affecting our operations.

Our ability to recognize the benefits of deferred tax assets is dependent on future cash flows and taxable income. We recognize deferred tax assets when the tax benefit is considered to be more likely than not of being realized; otherwise, a valuation allowance is applied against deferred tax assets. Assessing the recoverability of deferred tax assets requires management to make significant estimates related to expectations of future taxable income. Estimates of future taxable income are based on forecasted cash flows from operations and the application of existing tax laws in each jurisdiction. To the extent that future cash flows and taxable income differ significantly from estimates, our ability to realize the deferred tax assets could be impacted. Additionally, future changes in tax laws could limit our ability to obtain the future tax benefits represented by our deferred tax assets. At December 31, 2019, our net deferred tax assets were $4.6 million.

Our continuing reclamation obligations at our operations could require significant additional expenditures. We are responsible for the reclamation obligations related to disturbances located on all of our properties.  We have a liability on our balance sheet to cover the estimated reclamation obligation. However, there is a risk that any reserve could be inadequate to cover the actual costs of reclamation when carried out. Continuing reclamation obligations will require a significant amount of capital. There is a risk that we will be unable to fund these additional obligations and further, that the regulatory authorities may increase reclamation requirements to such a degree that it would not be commercially reasonable to continue mining and exploration activities, which may adversely affect our results of operations, financial performance and cash flows.

Our operating properties located in Mexico are subject to changes in political or economic conditions and regulations in that country. The risks with respect to Mexico or other developing countries include, but are not limited to: nationalization of properties, military repression, extreme fluctuations in currency exchange rates, criminal activity, lack of personal safety or ability to safeguard property, labor instability or militancy, mineral title irregularities and high rates of inflation. In addition, changes in mining or investment policies or shifts in political attitude in Mexico may adversely affect our business. We may be affected in varying degrees by government regulation with respect to restrictions on production, price controls, export controls, income taxes, expropriation of property, maintenance of claims, environmental legislation, land use, land claims of local people, opposition from non-governmental organizations, water use and mine safety. The effect of these factors cannot be accurately predicted and may adversely impact our operations.

Our ability to develop our Mexican properties is subject to the rights of the Ejido (agrarian cooperatives) who use or own the surface for agricultural purposes. Our ability to mine minerals is subject to maintaining satisfactory arrangements and relationships with the Ejido for access and surface disturbances. Ejidos are groups of local inhabitants who were granted rights to conduct agricultural activities on the property. We must negotiate and maintain a satisfactory arrangement with these residents in order to disturb or discontinue their rights to farm. While we have successfully negotiated and signed such agreements related to the Aguila and Alta Gracia projects, our inability to maintain these

agreements or consummate similar agreements for new projects could impair or impede our ability to successfully explore, develop and mine the properties.

Competition in the mining industry is intense, and we have limited financial and personnel resources with which to compete. Competition in the mining industry for desirable properties, investment capital and personnel is intense. Numerous companies headquartered in the United States (“U.S.”), Canada, and elsewhere throughout the world compete for properties and personnel on a global basis. We are a small participant in the gold mining industry due to our limited financial and personnel resources. We presently operate with a limited number of personnel and we anticipate operating in the same manner going forward. We compete with other companies in our industry to hire qualified personnel when needed to successfully operate our mine and processing facility. We may be unable to attract the necessary investment capital or personnel to fully explore and if warranted, develop our properties and be unable to acquire other desirable properties. We believe that competition for acquiring mineral properties, as well as the competition to attract and retain qualified personnel, may continue to be intense in the future.

Since a significant amount of our expenses in Mexico are paid in Mexican pesos, we are subject to changes in currency values that may adversely affect our results of operations. Our operations have in the past and will in the future be affected by changes in the value of the Mexican peso against the U.S. dollar. The appreciation of non-U.S. dollar currencies such as the peso against the U.S. dollar increases expenses and the cost of purchasing capital assets in U.S. dollar terms in Mexico, which can adversely impact our operating results and cash flows. Conversely, depreciation of non-U.S. dollar currencies usually decreases operating costs and capital asset purchases in U.S. dollar terms. The value of cash and cash equivalents, and other monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies also fluctuate with changes in currency exchange rates.

Our activities are subject to significant environmental regulations, which could raise the cost of doing business or adversely affect our ability to develop our properties. Our mining operations in Mexico are subject to environmental regulation by SEMARNAT. Regulations governing advancement of new projects or significant changes to existing projects require an environmental impact statement, known in Mexico as a MIA. We may also be required to submit proof of local community support for a project to obtain final approval. If an environmental impact statement is adverse or if we cannot obtain community support, our ability to explore and develop our properties could be adversely affected. Significant environmental legislation exists in Mexico, including fines and penalties for spills, release of emissions into the air, and other environmental damage, which fines or penalties could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.

In addition, significant state and federal environmental laws and regulations in the U.S. may hinder our ability to explore, develop, and operate at our Nevada Mining Unit. Federal laws that govern mining claim location and maintenance and mining operations on federal lands are generally administered by the BLM.   Additional federal laws, governing mine safety and health, also apply. State laws also require various permits and approvals before exploration, development or production operations can begin. Among other things, a reclamation plan must typically be prepared and approved, with bonding in the amount of projected reclamation costs. The bond is used to ensure that proper reclamation takes place, and the bond will not be released until that time. Local jurisdictions may also impose permitting requirements (such as conditional use permits or zoning approvals). 

Our business is subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws, a breach or violation of which could lead to civil and criminal fines and penalties, loss of licenses or permits and reputational harm. We operate in certain jurisdictions that have experienced some degree of governmental and private sector corruption, and in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-bribery laws may conflict with certain local customs and practices. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other commercial advantage. Our Code of Ethics and other corporate policies mandate compliance with these anti-bribery laws, which often carry substantial penalties. There can be no assurance that our internal control policies and procedures will always protect us from recklessness, fraudulent behavior, dishonesty or other inappropriate acts committed by our affiliates, employees, contractors, or agents. As such, our corporate policies and processes may not

prevent all potential breaches of law or other governance practices. Violations of these laws, or allegations of such violations, could lead to civil and criminal fines and penalties, litigation, and loss of operating licenses or permits, and may damage our reputation, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations or cause the market value of our common stock to decline.

We are dependent upon information technology systems, which are subject to disruption, damage, failure and risks associated with implementation and integration. We are dependent upon information technology systems in the conduct of our operations. Our information technology systems are subject to disruption, damage or failure from a variety of sources, including, without limitation, computer viruses, security breaches, cyber-attacks, natural disasters and defects in design. Cybersecurity incidents, in particular, are evolving and include, but are not limited to, malicious software, attempts to gain unauthorized access to data and other electronic security breaches that could lead to disruptions in systems, unauthorized release of confidential or otherwise protected information and the corruption of data. Various measures have been implemented to manage our risks related to information technology systems and network disruptions. However, given the unpredictability of the timing, nature and scope of information technology disruptions, we could potentially be subject to production downtimes, operational delays, the compromising of confidential or otherwise protected information, destruction or corruption of data, security breaches, other manipulation or improper use of our systems and networks or financial losses from remedial actions, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows, competitive position, financial condition or results of operations.

We may also be adversely affected by system or network disruptions if new or upgraded information technology systems are defective, not installed properly or not properly integrated into our operations. If we are not able to successfully implement system upgrades or modifications, we may have to rely on manual reporting processes and controls over financial reporting that have not been planned, designed or tested. Various measures have been implemented to manage our risks related to the system upgrades and modifications, but system upgrades and modification failures could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations and could, if not successfully implemented, adversely impact the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.

The nature of mineral exploration and production activities involves a high degree of risk and the possibility of uninsured losses. Exploration for and the production of minerals is highly speculative and involves greater risk than many other businesses. Many exploration programs do not result in the discovery of mineralization, and any mineralization discovered may not be of sufficient quantity or quality to be profitably mined. Our operations are, and any future mining operations or construction we may conduct will be, subject to all of the operating hazards and risks normally incident to exploring for and mining of mineral properties, such as, but not limited to:

Any of these risks can materially and adversely affect, among other things, the development of properties, production quantities and rates, costs and expenditures, potential revenues and targeted production dates. We currently have limited insurance to guard against some of these risks. If we determine that capitalized costs associated with any of our mineral interests are not likely to be recovered, we would incur a write down of our investment in these interests. All of these factors may result in losses in relation to amounts spent which are not recoverable or result in additional expenses.

We do not insure against all of the risks to which we may be subject in our operations and development. While we currently maintain insurance for general commercial liability claims and the physical assets at our Aguila, Alta Gracia, and Isabella Pearl projects, we do not maintain insurance to cover all of the potential risks associated with our operations. We might be subject to liability for environmental, pollution or other hazards associated with mineral exploration and mine construction, for which insurance may not be available, which may exceed the limits of our insurance coverage, or which we may elect not to insure against because of premium costs or other reasons. We may also not be insured against interruptions to our operations. Losses from these or other events may cause us to incur significant costs which could materially adversely affect our financial condition and our ability to fund activities on our properties. A significant loss could force us to reduce or suspend our operations and development.

We depend upon a limited number of personnel and the loss of any of these individuals could adversely affect our business. Due to the relatively limited number of personnel that we employ, we are dependent on certain individuals to run our business. These individuals include our executive officers and other key employees. If any of these individuals were to die, become disabled or leave our company, we would be forced to identify and retain individuals to replace them. There is no assurance that we can find suitable individuals to replace them or to add to our employee base if that becomes necessary. We have no life insurance on any individual, and we may be unable to hire a suitable replacement on favorable terms should that become necessary.

Title to mineral properties can be uncertain.  Our ability to explore and operate our properties depends on the validity of our title to that property. Our U.S. mineral properties include patented and unpatented mining claims. Unpatented mining claims provide only possessory title and their validity is often subject to contest by third parties or the federal government, which makes the validity of unpatented mining claims uncertain and generally riskier. Our concessions in Mexico are subject to continuing government regulation and failure to adhere to such regulations will result in termination of the concession. Uncertainties inherent in mineral properties relate to such things as the sufficiency of mineral discovery, proper posting and marking of boundaries, assessment work and possible conflicts with other claims not determinable from public record. There may be valid challenges to the title to our properties which, if successful, could impair development and/or operations.

In the event of a dispute regarding title to our Mexican properties, it will likely be necessary for us to resolve the dispute in Mexico, where we would be faced with unfamiliar laws and procedures. The resolution of disputes in foreign countries can be costly and time consuming. In a foreign country we face the additional burden of understanding unfamiliar laws and procedures. We may not be entitled to a jury trial, as we might be in the United States. Further, to litigate in any foreign country, we would be faced with the necessity of hiring lawyers and other professionals who are familiar with the foreign laws. For these reasons, we may incur unforeseen costs if we are forced to resolve a dispute in Mexico or any other foreign country.

Our directors and officers may be protected from certain types of lawsuits. The laws of the State of Colorado provide that our directors will not be liable to us or our shareholders for monetary damages for all but certain types of conduct as directors of the company. Our Articles of Incorporation permit us to indemnify our directors and officers against all damages incurred in connection with our business to the fullest extent provided or allowed by law. Additionally, we entered into individual indemnification agreements with our current directors and officers and we intend to execute substantially similar agreements with future directors and officers. The exculpation provisions of any of these items may have the effect of preventing shareholders from recovering damages against our directors caused by their negligence, poor judgment or other circumstances. The indemnification provisions may require us to use our limited assets to defend our directors and officers against claims, including claims arising out of their negligence, poor judgment

or other circumstances. Pursuant to the terms of the indemnification agreements, we are required to advance funds to our directors and officers prior to the final disposition of any threatened or actual legal proceeding, and including in the event it is ultimately determined that such officer or director is not entitled to indemnification pursuant to the terms of the indemnification agreement, in which case we will depend on reimbursement of advanced expenses from such individual.

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

Our stock price may be volatile and as a result you could lose part or all of your investment. In addition to other risk factors identified and due to volatility associated with equity securities in general, the value of your investment could decline due to the impact of numerous factors upon the market price of our common stock, including:

Stock markets in general have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations and the market prices of individual securities have been highly volatile. These fluctuations are often unrelated to operating performance and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock. As a result, you may be unable to sell your shares at a desired price.

Past payments of dividends on our common stock are not a guaranty of future payments of dividends. In 2010, we began paying cash dividends to the holders of our common stock.  However, our ability to continue to pay dividends in the future will depend on a number of factors, including, cash flow, mine construction requirements and strategies, other acquisition and/or construction projects, spot gold and silver prices, taxation, government-imposed royalties and general market conditions. Further, a portion of our cash flow is expected to be retained to finance our operations and development of mineral properties. Any material change in our operations may affect future dividends which may be modified or canceled at the discretion of our Board of Directors. Any decrease in our monthly dividend would likely have an adverse impact on the price of our common stock.

We are subject to the Continued Listing Criteria of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE American”), and our failure to satisfy these criteria may result in delisting of our common stock. Our common stock is currently listed on the NYSE American. In order to maintain that listing, we must maintain certain share price and other criteria, including maintaining a minimum amount of shareholders’ equity and a minimum number of public shareholders. In addition to objective standards, the NYSE American may delist the securities of any issuer if, in its opinion, the issuer’s financial condition and/or operating results appear unsatisfactory; if it appears that the extent of public distribution or the aggregate market value of the security has become so reduced as to make continued listing on the NYSE American inadvisable; if the issuer sells or disposes of principal operating assets or ceases to be an operating company; if an issuer fails to comply with the NYSE American’s listing requirements; if an issuer’s common stock sells at what the NYSE American considers a “low selling price” and the issuer fails to correct this via a reverse split of shares after notification

by the NYSE American; or if any other event occurs or any condition exists which makes continued listing on the NYSE American, in its opinion, inadvisable.

If the NYSE American delists our common stock, investors may face material adverse consequences, including, but not limited to, a lack of trading market for our securities, reduced liquidity, decreased analyst coverage of our securities, and an inability for us to obtain additional financing to fund our operations.

Issuances of our stock in the future could dilute existing shareholders and adversely affect the market price of our common stock. We have the authority to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of common stock, 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, and to issue options and warrants to purchase shares of our common stock without stockholder approval. As of February 28, 2020, there were 65,691,527 shares of common stock outstanding. Future issuances of our securities could be at prices substantially below the price paid for our common stock by our current shareholders. In addition, we can issue blocks of our common stock in amounts up to 20% of the then-outstanding shares without further shareholder approval. Because we have issued less of our common stock than many of our larger peers, the issuance of a significant amount of our common stock may have a disproportionately large impact on our share price compared to larger companies.

Awards of our shares and stock options to employees may not have their intended effect. A portion of our total compensation program for our executive officers and key personnel has historically included the award of shares and options to buy shares of our common stock. If the price of our common stock performs poorly, such performance may adversely affect our ability to retain or attract critical personnel. In addition, any changes made to our stock option policies or to any other of our compensation practices which are made necessary by governmental regulations or competitive pressures could affect our ability to retain and motivate existing personnel and recruit new personnel.

As of December 31, 2019, our estimate of Proven and Probable (“P&P”) reserves was: 

Notes to the 2019 P&P reserves:

For comparison, at December 31, 2018, our estimate of P&P reserves was:

Notes to the 2018 P&P reserves:

Mineralized Material

We use the term “mineralized material” to describe mineralization in our mineral deposits that do not constitute “reserves” under U.S. reporting requirements set forth in Guide 7.

In addition to our P&P reserves, we estimate mineralized material within the definition of Guide 7. Mineralized material does not have demonstrated economic viability. The SEC only permits issuers to report “mineralized material” in tonnage and average grade without reference to contained ounces or quantities of other metals. All of our mineralized material is located at our Oaxaca Mining Unit.

As of December 31, 2019, our estimate of mineralized material was:

Notes to the 2019 mineralized material:

For comparison, at December 31, 2018, our estimate of mineralized material was:

Notes to the 2018 mineralized material:

Our P&P Reserve and Mineralized Material estimates were prepared by our technical staff under the direction of Fred H. Brown, Senior Resource Geologist, and Barry Devlin, Vice President of Exploration.  Mr. Brown graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology from New Mexico State University in 1987, obtained a Graduate Diploma in Engineering (Mining) in 1997 from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master of Science in Engineering (Civil) from the University of the Witwatersrand in 2005.  He is registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia and as a Professional Geoscientist and the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration as a Registered Member.  Mr. Devlin holds a Bachelor of Science degree with honors in Geology, 1981, and a Masters in Geology, 1987, from the University of British Columbia. He is also a Professional Geologist registered with the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia.

For a description of the key assumptions, parameters and methods used to estimate Proven and Probable Reserves and Mineralized Material included in this report, as well as data verification procedures and a general discussion of the extent to which the estimates may be affected by any known environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-political, marketing or other factors, investors may review the annual reserve report posted on our website (http://www.goldresourcecorp.com.)

Oaxaca Mining Unit

All of the properties that make up our Oaxaca Mining Unit are located in Oaxaca, Mexico in what is known as the San Jose structural corridor, which runs north 70 degrees west. Our properties comprise 55 continuous kilometers of this structural corridor which spans three historic mining districts in Oaxaca; the map below shows the general location of our properties: 

We are granted concessions from the Mexican federal government to explore and mine our properties in Mexico.  We hold certain properties directly as the concession holder and lease other properties from a third party. As of December 31, 2019, our Oaxaca Mining Unit encompassed approximately 55,119 hectares (136,199 acres) covered by 24 mining concessions and 5 lease concessions.  The annual concession fees are $728,929 and we have made all necessary payments for 2019.  Please see Mining Concessions and Regulations in Mexico, below.

Operating Properties 

Aguila Project

Background: The Aguila project currently comprises 18 mining concessions aggregating 24,372 hectares.

In 2002, we leased the Aguila, El Aire, and La Tehuana concessions from a third party. The Aguila and El Aire concessions are part of the Aguila project and the La Tehuana concession comprises the Margaritas property. The lease agreement is subject to a 4% net smelter return royalty where production is sold in the form of gold/silver doré and 5% for production sold in concentrate form. Subject to meeting minimum exploration requirements, there is no expiration

term for the lease. We may terminate it at any time upon written notice to the lessor and the lessor may terminate it if we fail to fulfill any of our obligations, which primarily consist of paying the appropriate royalty to the lessor.

In August 2003, we commenced an initial drilling and exploration program at the Aguila project. Through 2018, we have drilled a total of 935 core holes (both surface and underground) equaling 286,424 meters and 166 reverse circulation holes equaling 14,367 meters for a total of 1,101 holes totaling 300,791 meters.

In 2010, we acquired from a third party, at no additional cost, the El Chacal and El Pilon concessions, which are subject to a 2% royalty, but are not subject to the Aguila lease agreement.  We filed for and received additional concessions from the Mexican government which are also not part of the concessions leased or acquired from the third party. The mineral concessions making up the Aguila  project are located within the San Pedro Totolapam and San Pedro Quiatoni Ejidos.

Location and Access: The Aguila  project is located in the Sierra Madre del Sur Mountains of southern Mexico in the central part of the State of Oaxaca. The property is located along a major paved highway approximately 120 kilometers southeast of Oaxaca City, the state’s capital city. The property is approximately four kilometers due northwest from the village of San Jose de Gracia. We have constructed gravel and paved roads from the village to the mine and processing facility which provides adequate access to the property.

The climate of the Aguila  project area is dry and warm to very warm with most rainfall occurring in June through September and annual precipitation averaging 423.7 mm. The average yearly temperature is 26.6 degrees centigrade. The area is very rocky with arid vegetation. Subsistence farming occurs and the main agricultural crop is agave cactus that is cultivated for the production of mescal.  

Geology and Mineralization: The Aguila  project is located in the San Jose de Gracia Mining District in Oaxaca. Multiple volcanic domes of various scales, and probably non-vented intrusive domes, dominate the district geology. These volcanogenic features are imposed on a pre-volcanic basement of sedimentary rocks. Gold and silver mineralization in this district is related to the manifestations of this classic volcanogenic system and is considered epithermal in character.

Historically, we have produced ore from two locations on the Aguila property, the Aguila open pit mine and the Arista underground mine. The Aguila open pit mineralization is considered low sulfidation, epithermal mineralization primarily of gold with some silver and no base metals. The Arista underground mine is considered intermediate epithermal mineralization of gold, silver, copper, lead, and zinc. The host rock in the Arista vein system is primarily andesite.

Facilities: We constructed a processing facility and other infrastructure at the Aguila project for approximately $35 million in 2009, and expanded the processing facility in 2012 and 2013, spending an additional $23 million. The flotation mill expansion, completed at the end of 2013, increased the number of flotation cells, added a second ball mill to allow for additional processing capacity and a Knelson gravity concentrator. In 2014 we completed a doré processing facility. The Aguila processing facility is flexible in its ability to process several types of mineralization. It has a differential flotation section capable of processing polymetallic ore and producing up to three separate concentrate products for sale. The facility also has an agitated leach circuit capable of producing gold and silver doré for sale. Depending on the specific type and characteristics of the ore, the facility has processed sulfide material in its flotation circuit at well above its nominal capacity of 1,500 tonnes of ore per day. The agitated leach circuit can process a nominal 300 tonnes per day.

We obtained water rights from the Mexican government for an amount of water that we believe is sufficient to meet our operating requirements and pump it approximately five kilometers to the site from a permitted well located near the Totolapam River.

Additional improvements at the site include installation of diesel generation power plants and switch gear, paving a three-kilometer section of the road from the mine to the processing facility, construction of a new surface maintenance garage and fuel station, construction of haul roads from the mine site to the processing facility, office space at the processing facility, an assay lab, an exploration office, tailings impoundment facilities, a paste fill plant and other infrastructure.

In 2019, we completed the power grid project and now nearly all power to the site is provided from the Mexican power grid.

Exploration Activities:

Our exploration activities during 2019 mainly focused on underground exploration drilling at the Arista and Switchback vein systems in the Arista Mine.  The Switchback drilling program continued to target further expansion and delineation of the multiple high-grade parallel veins for reserve definition, expansion and mine plan optimization.  The Switchback vein system extends for over one kilometer and remains open on strike and vertical extent. 

Underground drilling during 2019 also continued to expand the ore zones in the Arista Mine, mainly on the Baja, Santiago and Splay 31 veins of the Arista vein system currently in production, and two new veins, Sadie and Sasha, discovered in the Switchback vein system.  Thirty-four underground diamond drill holes totaling 11,795 meters were completed at the Aguila project during 2019.  Surface geologic mapping and rock chip sampling was also conducted in the vicinity of the Arista Mine, the Aguila open pit and other prospects of the Aguila project. 

Alta Gracia

Background: In August 2009, we acquired claims adjacent to the Margaritas property in the Alta Gracia Mining District by filing concessions known as the David 1, the David 2 and La Herradura,  totaling 5,175 hectares.

As of December 31, 2016, proven and probable reserves had been established for the Mirador Underground Mine on our Alta Gracia property.  In July 2017, mine development reached the economic ore zone of the Mirador vein and mining began.  

Location and Access: The Alta Gracia project is approximately 20 kilometers northeast from the village of San Pedro Totalapam, in the Municipality of San Pedro Totolapam.  Access to the project is by a gravel road that departs the paved highway approximately 13 kilometers east of the village of San Pedro Totalapam.  The haulage distance by road from Alta Gracia to the Aguila processing facility is approximately 32 kilometers.

Geology and Mineralization: The sedimentary and volcanic units mapped at Alta Gracia are similar to those observed at the Aguila project.  The district is dominated by Tertiary-age rhyolite flows and tuffs which are underlain by andesite flows and tuff.  Granodiorite and felsic intrusives are observed to outcrop to north and east of the Mirador mine.  Known vein occurrences at Alta Gracia are mainly hosted in andesite and rhyolite.  The veins currently being mined at Alta Gracia are considered low sulfidation epithermal mineralization with economic values only for gold and silver.

Facilities:  During 2016, we received our operating permit for the Mirador Mine. Explosive magazines, located inside the Mirador Mine at the Alicia portal, were also constructed and permitted.

In 2017, two mine portals were developed to provide access to the Mirador vein. Mine site offices and a mobile equipment maintenance shop were established adjacent to the Aguacate portal. Additionally, a diesel power generation plant, compressed air and a mine water pumping station were developed and put into service.  In 2018, old workings were improved to create a second access to the vein system called Independencia. The portal for this access is located approximately 500 meters southwest of the Mirador portal. Development is now established to the mineralization delineated within the Mirador’s Independencia vein during the 2018 and 2019 drill campaigns.  

Ore from the Mirador Mine, primarily silver, is transported by contracted haul trucks to and processed at our agitated leach plant at the Aguila processing facility, with final product being doré.

Exploration Activities: The 2019 Alta Gracia surface and underground drill campaign focused primarily on the Independencia vein.  The goal of this drill campaign was to test the extensions of the high-grade ore shoot previously identified on the Independencia vein.  In 2019, we completed 18 step-out and in-fill diamond drill holes totaling 2,327 meters at Alta Gracia.  Surface and underground geological mapping and sampling along with detailed topographic surveying also continued in the historic mining areas at Alta Gracia, mainly at the Aguacatillo prospect.  A surface geochemical soil sampling program was also carried out to the west, along the projected extension of the Independencia vein.  The new information was used for estimation of reserves and mineralized material and to guide future follow-up drilling programs.  To date, over 49 veins have been identified and modelled at the Alta Gracia Project at or near its Mirador Mine.

Please see Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for additional information concerning our mining operations at the Aguila project. 

Exploration Properties

Margaritas Property

The Margaritas property is made up of the La Tehuana concession. It is comprised of approximately 925 hectares located along our 55-kilometer mineralized trend and adjacent to the Aguila  project

In 2019, we continued to review results from previous surface drilling, surveying, detailed geological mapping and rock chip channel sampling for the Margaritas property.  Additional rock chip channel sampling of historic workings and expansion of the soil and rock geochemical program were also carried out in the Trenes mineralized zone.  This included identification of significant historic small-scale mine workings called “Chileños” in the Trenes area.  A future follow-up surface diamond drilling program is targeted for Trenes.  Trenes is located approximately 10-kilometers northwest of the Arista Mine along our 55-kilometer mineralized trend.

Chamizo Property

In June 2011, we acquired an exploration concession from the Mexican government of approximately 17,898 hectares referred to as Chamizo.  In March 2013, we acquired a property known as Cerro Colorado from Almaden Minerals, Ltd. (Almaden) consisting of approximately 1,860 hectares. The Cerro Colorado property is surrounded by our Chamizo concession and we include it as part of the Chamizo property. Any future production from the Cerro Colorado concession is subject to a 2% net smelter return royalty in favor of Almaden.

Because of the close proximity of Chamizo to Alta Gracia, exploration activity began on this property during late 2011 and to date has included geochemical sampling and drilling of eight shallow core holes for a total of 1,327 meters. We completed the acceptable minimum amount of work required to maintain the claims during 2019 and target the same amount of work in 2020.

Fuego Property

In March 2013, we acquired the Fuego property from Almaden subject to a 2% net smelter return royalty. The Fuego property consists of approximately 2,554 hectares and is located south of our Alta Gracia and Chamizo properties. In 2013, Fuego was included in the property-wide airborne geophysical survey. Geologic mapping and surface sampling has been conducted on the Fuego property allow us to meet the acceptable minimum amount of work required to maintain the claims.  We do not anticipate any significant exploration activities at El Fuego in 2020. However, we plan to conduct the acceptable minimum amount of work required to maintain the claims.

Rey Property

The Rey property consists of concessions on the far northwest end of our 55-kilometer mineralized corridor in the State of Oaxaca known as Rey, El Virrey, La Reyna and El Marquez. The Rey property consists of 2,774 hectares.  We acquired the Rey concession from a third party, and it is subject to a 2% net smelter return royalty payable to them on a portion of the claims. We obtained the remaining concessions by staking claims and filing for concessions with the Mexican government.

The Rey property is located approximately 64.4 kilometers by road from the Aguila project. There is no plant or equipment on the Rey property. If exploration is successful, any mining would probably require an underground mine where mineralized material could be trucked to the Aguila processing facility for processing.  To date, we have drilled 48 core holes for a total of 5,273 meters at the Rey property. Early in 2012, we completed a small amount of work to finish refurbishing and extending an existing shaft on the property to permit underground exploratory drilling. We ceased work at the Rey property during 2012, following a request to obtain additional approvals from local community agencies. In 2020, we plan to continue working with the local agencies and anticipate resolving the matter, but we have no assurance that we will be able to resume our exploration activities in the near term.  If the matter is resolved, we plan to conduct follow-up drilling and exploration based on the drilling done in 2007 and 2008.  We do not anticipate any significant exploration activities at Rey in 2020.  However, we plan to conduct the acceptable minimum amount of work required to maintain the claims.

Mining Concessions and Regulations in Mexico

Mineral rights in Mexico belong to the Mexican federal government and are administered pursuant to Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution. All of our mining concessions are exploitation concessions, which may be granted or transferred to Mexican citizens and corporations. Our leases or concessions are held by our Mexican subsidiary. Exploitation concessions have a term of 50 years and can be renewed for another 50 years. Concessions grant us the right to explore and exploit all minerals found in the ground. Maintenance of concessions requires the semi-annual payment of mining duties (due in January and July) and the performance of assessment work, on a calendar year basis, with assessment work reports required to be filed in the month of May for the preceding calendar year. The amount of mining duties and annual assessment are set by regulation, may increase over the life of the concession and include periodic adjustments for inflation.

Mexican mining law does not require payment of finder’s fees to the government, except for a discovery premium in connection with national mineral reserves, concessions and claims or allotments contracted directly from the Mexican Geological Survey. None of the claims held by DDGM are under such a discovery premium regime.

Ejido Lands and Surface Right Acquisitions in Mexico 

Surface lands within our Oaxaca Mining Unit are Ejido lands (agrarian cooperative lands granted by the federal government to groups of Campesinos pursuant to Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution of 1917). Prior to January 1, 1994, Ejidos could not transfer Ejido lands into private ownership. Amendments to Article 27 of the Mexican Constitution in 1994 now allow individual property ownership within Ejidos and allow Ejidos to enter into commercial ventures with individuals or entities, including foreign corporations. We have an agreement with the local San Pedro Totolapam Ejido allowing exploration and exploitation of mineralization at the Aguila project and some of our surrounding properties.

Mexican law recognizes mining as a land use generally superior to agriculture. However, the law also recognizes the rights of the Ejidos to compensation in the event mining activity interrupts or discontinues their use of the agricultural lands. Compensation is typically made in the form of a cash payment to the holder of the agricultural rights. The amount of such compensation is generally related to the perceived value of the agricultural rights as negotiated in the first instance between the Ejidos and the owner of the mineral rights. If the parties are unable to reach agreement on the amount of the compensation, the decision can be referred to the government.

We have established surface rights agreements with the San Pedro Totolapam Ejido and the individuals impacted by our proposed operations which allow disturbance of the surface where necessary for our exploration activities and mining operations.

Nevada Mining Unit

In Nevada, we are the owner of four properties totaling 973 unpatented mining claims covering approximately 17,715 acres, subject to the paramount title of the United States of America, under the administration of the Bureau of Land Management (“BLM”). Under the Mining Law of 1872, which governs the location of unpatented mining claims on federal lands, the owner (locator) has the right to explore, develop, and mine minerals on unpatented mining claims without payments of production royalties to the U.S. government, subject to the surface management regulation of the BLM.  Currently, annual claim maintenance fees are the only federal payments related to unpatented mining claims.  Annual maintenance fees of $172,355 were paid during 2019.

In addition to the unpatented claims, we also own 17 patented mining claims covering approximately 276 acres and an additional 200 acres of fee lands in Mineral County, Nevada.  Patented claims and fee lands unlike unpatented claims, pass title to the holder.  The patented claims and fee lands are subject to payment of annual property taxes made to the county where they are located.  Annual property taxes on our patented claims and fee lands have been paid through June 30, 2020.

Our properties in Nevada are located in the Walker Lane Mineral Belt which is known for its significant and high-grade gold and silver production.  Activities at our properties in Nevada range from exploration at East Camp Douglas and County Line to mineral delineation at Mina Gold to production at Isabella Pearl.  We believe that our Nevada properties have excellent potential for additional discoveries of both bulk tonnage replacement-type and bonanza-grade vein-type gold deposits, similar to other gold deposits historically mined in the nearby Paradise Peak, Borealis, Bodie, Tonopah, and Goldfield districts.

Our primary focus is to discover, delineate and advance potential open pit heap leach gold operations, in addition to Isabella Pearl, at our Nevada Mining Unit.  We believe that our Nevada properties are highly prospective based on their geology, surface samples, drill results, and close proximity to past and current high-grade gold and silver producing mines. We also target equipment sharing synergies whereby we may move equipment from one project to the next due to

their close proximity (approximately 20 miles or less) to each other.  The map below shows the general location of our properties (yellow stars) and significant nearby gold deposits held by other parties (red stars) within Nevada:

Operating Properties

Isabella Pearl

Background:  In August 2016, we purchased Walker Lane, which owns a 100% interest in the Isabella Pearl project which covers an area of 8,891 acres consisting of 496 unpatented claims.  In April 2018, we released our maiden Proven and Probable mineral reserve estimate for the Isabella Pearl project totaling 192,600 gold ounces at an average grade of 2.22 g/t.  In 2019, we commenced production of gold doré from an open pit heap leach operation.  Based on metallurgical testing, we expect gold recoveries of approximately 81% for crushed ore and 60% for the run-of-mine (“ROM”) ore. 

Location and Access:  The Isabella Pearl project is located in the Gabbs Valley Range in Mineral County, Nevada, approximately 240 kilometers (150 miles) southeast of Reno.  Access to the project is by a paved road approximately 10 kilometers  (six miles) north of the town of Luning, Nevada. The project has good connections to the infrastructure of west-central Nevada, with access roads to the project site linking to Nevada State Route 361 and U.S. Route 95, the main highway between Reno and Las Vegas.  

Geology and Mineralization: The Isabella Pearl project is located in the central portion of the Walker Lane Mineral Belt, a major northwest-trending zone near the western border of Nevada characterized by a series of closely spaced dextral strike-slip faults that were active throughout much of the middle to late Cenozoic.  Volcanic rocks of middle Tertiary age cover much of the property and include intermediate lava flows and ignimbrite ash flow sheets.  The volcanic rocks unconformably overlie Mesozoic strata including Triassic and Jurassic sedimentary units and Cretaceous and Jurassic igneous units.  Within the regional Walker Lane tectonic setting, several major fault zones trend through the property and are dominated by various splays and offset branches that host the gold mineralization in the area. 

The gold-silver mineralized zones mainly include the Isabella, Pearl, and Civit Cat North deposits, collectively referred to as the Isabella Pearl deposit.  Alteration and mineral assemblages at Isabella Pearl, including widespread argillic alteration and generally abundant alunite, indicate the deposits belong to the high-sulfidation class of epithermal mineral deposits.  The age of the mineralization is approximately 19 million years and this early Miocene age conforms to the age of other high-sulfidation epithermal precious-metal deposits in the Walker Lane Belt in which we have no interest (e.g., Goldfield and Paradise Peak).

Facilities:  We were granted a positive Record of Decision (“ROD”) from the BLM on the Environmental Assessment (“EA”) for the Isabella Pearl project in May 2018.  This final permit, along with approval from the Company’s Board of Directors, allowed us to move the project forward into development and construction.  Construction commenced in June 2018 and by the end of 2019 we had completed construction of the Isabella Pearl mine including haul roads, office and laboratory buildings, crushing facility, the heap leach pad, pregnant and barren solution ponds, the ADR processing facility and two water wells.  We began shipping gold-loaded carbon to a third-party to be processed into doré April 2019, made initial gold sales of doré in May 2019, and reached commercial production levels in October 2019.  In December 2019, we completed construction of the ADR plant and commenced producing doré at the Isabella Pearl Mine site.

Exploration Activities: In 2019, we completed a 110-hole, 8,096-meter reverse circulation drilling program targeted to explore and expand mineral reserves at the Isabella Pearl Mine.  This program included in-fill and step-out drill holes on the Pearl, Civit Cat North and Scarlet targets.  Numerous high-grade surface samples are situated over historic drill intercepts at Civit Cat North and Scarlet, the latter a potential new deposit located 400 meters northwest of the Isabella Peal Mine.  Surface geological and alteration mapping and rock chip sampling continued along the Scarlet trend to the northwest and further to the historic mining area at the Civit Cat North West target.  These areas are targeted for surface drilling in the future.

Exploration Properties 

Mina Gold

In August of 2016, we purchased 100% interest in the Mina Gold property located in Nevada’s Walker Lane Mineral Belt.  The property has the potential to be a future open pit heap leach gold operation.  Mina Gold reported a historic third-party estimate of mineralized material totaling 1,606,000 tonnes grading 1.88 g/t gold.  The property covers an area of 1,328 acres consisting of 66 unpatented claims and 5 patented claims.  In 2019, we reviewed results from previous surface drilling to guide follow-up drilling and other exploration activities for Mina Gold.  During 2019, we also expanded our land position at Mina Gold by leasing an additional 23 unpatented lode mining claims.  These claims will be evaluated along with our other claims at the Mina Gold property in preparation for future surface drilling programs.

East Camp Douglas

In January 2017, we purchased 100% interest in the East Camp Douglas gold property located in Nevada’s Walker Lane Mineral Belt.  The property covers an area of approximately 5,571 acres consisting of 289 unpatented claims, 12 patented claims and additional fee lands in Mineral County, Nevada.  Precious metal epithermal mineralization at East Camp Douglas occurs as both widespread high sulfidation alteration areas and low sulfidation veins.  Modern exploration by several mining and exploration companies has established modest gold resource potential in five separate areas on the property, with over 3,000 meters of drill core and a large exploration database.  We believe this large property has numerous untested gold targets with open pit heap leach potential warranting an extensive exploration program.  During 2019, we continued to review historic geological, exploration and mining data on the East Camp Douglas property.  Additional exploration activities included surface geological and alteration mapping and rock chip geochemical sampling of the historic mine workings, mainly at the Kernick, Sunset, and Triumph mines, of the historic Cerro Duro mining area.  We also commenced initial 3D-modeling for the historic mine areas.  In 2020, we intend to continue to evaluate the resource potential of the historic Cerro Duro mining area using extensive historic drilling and sample data available as well as identifying targets for our first drilling program on the gold-bearing silicified volcanic rocks further to the south in the area we call the “lithocap”.

County Line

In March 2018, we purchased 100% interest in the County Line property.  The property is located close to our other Nevada properties in central Nevada’s Walker Lane Mineral Belt in Mineral and Nye counties.  In addition, we staked additional unpatented claims around the property to strengthen the land position and exploration potential.  The total land package is 2,401 acres consisting of 116 unpatented lode mining claims and 6 unpatented placer mining claims.  During 2019, we continued to review historic geological, exploration and mining data along with conducting surface mapping and rock chip sampling in preparation for a future initial surface drilling program.

2020 Exploration 

In 2020, we anticipate spending a total of approximately $7 million for exploration activities in our Oaxaca and Nevada Mining Units.  Exploration expenditures may be modified depending on exploration results, metal market conditions and available capital.

Office Facilities 

We constructed an administrative office building adjacent to the Aguila processing facility, a mine office adjacent to the Arista Mine portal as part of the Aguila  project, and an administrative office building adjacent to the Isabella Pearl open pit mine.  We also lease approximately 3,000 square feet of office space in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca.  The lease commenced in 2012 and continues for ten years. In 2014, we sold the building that serves as our executive and administrative headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado and have leased back a portion under a renewable one-year lease. We also lease approximately 2,500 square feet of office space in Denver, Colorado, which we renewed through February 2022.